Five Thoughts From UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin

Five Thoughts From UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin

The most hyped fight card of 2010 did not disappoint. UFC 116 lived up to every bit of said hype and cranked out one of the, if not THE, best UFC cards of all time. The event had it all. An amazing knockout (KO via slam, c’mon), several awesome submissions (thanks Romero, Lytle, Leben, Lesnar), and some epic brawling that kept the crowd on their feet for the majority of the night (thanks K-Sos, Bonnar, Leben, Akiyama). While UFC 116’s place in history will be debated for eternity, there’s no room for debate that it was the best card of the year and of recent memory. On to my five thoughts coming out of this epic night of fights…

1. The new Brock Lesnar is still awesome, just more likable. I’ve gone on record several times as saying that Brock Lesnar is great for the sport of mixed martial arts. After his near brush with death, Brock Lesnar has returned to the scene a more humbled, likable version of his old self. Just like pro wrestling, MMA can have “heels” and “faces” and those roles can be switched time and time again. Brock is in a “face” state of mind right now, feeling that his ability to even fight at this point is a miracle. But, people don’t change. The old Brock, the “heel” Brock will be back and in full effect in no time. Until then, the humble, likable Brock will help reel in even more fans than he already has to this amazing sport. Love it or hate it, Mr. Lesnar is the biggest name in MMA behind Dana White and his ability to influence and garner attention for the sport is vital for continued mainstream growth and coverage.